Flax and other grain attachment for harvesters.



P. LINHA. I'LAX AND OTHER GRAIN ATTACHMENT FOB. HARVESTBRS.

APPLIOATION FILED 101K127, 1510.

Patnted Apr. 9, 1912.

Z Lin/21v FRANK LINI-IA, OF MINOT, NORTH DAKOTA.

FLAX AND OTHER GRAIN ATTACHMENT FOR HARVESTERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr.'9, 1912.

Application filed December 27, 1910. Serial No. 599,635.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK LINH'A, a citi- Zen of the United States,residing at Minot, in the county of Ward and State of North Dakota, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Flax and other GrainAttachments for Harvesters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to grain harvesters and has special reference toimprovements in flax and other grain attachments for such machines.

The invention has for its principal object to improve flax and othergrain harvesting machines by providing means whereby practically all theloose flax or short cut grain will be saved and not scattered over theground as the machine travels, as is the case with flax attachments nowgenerally in use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a swingingleaf or drawboard at the lower edge of the table on which the flax or other grain isgathered into a bunch by means of a set of curved teeth which areperiodically raised by the driver to dump the collected flax or othergrain bunch, the said leaf being disposed outwardly or be low the saidteeth so that the loose flax or grain heads will be prevented fromdropplng ofl" the table between adjacent teeth, and by means of suitableoperating connections between the shaft of the teeth and the said drawboard or leaf, the latter can be let down or opened at the same time theteeth are moved to open position, with the result that the loose flax orgrain will drop off the table at the same time the bunch is deposited onthe ground.

WVith these ob ects 1n vlew and others, as will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention comprises the various novel featuresof construction and arrangement of parts which will be more fullydescribed hereinafter and set forth with particularity in the claimsappended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one embodiment of theinvention, Figure 1 is a side view of the inclined discharge table of aflax and other grain attachment for a harvester with the improvementsapplied thereto, the leaf or draw board being. shown-raised and inoperative position to collect the loose flax or other grain. Fig. 2 is asimilar view showing the parts in a position to deposit the flax orother grain upon the ground. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a portionof the inclined table showing the invention applied thereto.

Similar reference characters are employed to designate correspondingparts throughout the views.

As the present invention relates solely to the discharge table of aharvester and more particularly to improvements in a flax and othergrain attachment for harvesters, it has been deemed unnecessary toillustrate the harvester. The flax and other grain attachment includesan inclined discharge table 1 that is arranged in cooperative relationwith the elevating mechanism of the harvester so that the flax or othergrain will be delivered to the top of the table and slide down the sametoward the lower edge where it is arrested by a set of curved collectingteeth 2 which are arranged side by side and have their upper endsanchored in a horizontal shaft 3 that is journaled in fixed arms 1,arranged at the ends of the table and suitably fastened to the harvesterframe. In the drawing, only the end tooth 2 of the grain-holding teethis shown, as the other teeth are concealed from view behind the forwardone, but it is to be understood that a plurality of teeth are used inspaced relation, as is common in flax attachments. Only one supportingarm 4 is shown in the present instance, as one arm is concealed behindthe other. The lower ends of the teeth 2 are adapted to bear on thetable 1 while the flax or other grain is being collected on the latter,and when the bunch of flax or other grain is to be dropped on theground, the teeth are simultaneously raised ofl the table from theposition shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2. The opening andclosing movement of the flax or other grain dropping mechanism comprisedby the table 1 and teeth2 is eflected by an arm 5 fastened on the shaft3 and suitably connected with means under the control of the operator.The construction thus far described is well known and in common use.

The present invention consists, in combination with the structure aboveset forth, of a swinging leaf or draw board 5 that extendslongitudinally of the table from one end to the other at the lower edgethereof, and this leaf is connected by hinges 6 to the table, so that itcan swing between a position at right angles to the table and oneparallel therewith, the first being the closed position and the secondthe open position of the leaf. This leaf is disposed outwardly or belowthe collecting teeth 2 so as to arrest the loose flax or grain thatwould tend to pass between the adjacent teeth 2 and drop on the groundas the harvester travels. It will thus be seen that the leaf 5 effects amaterial increase in the harvested crop, as that portion of the grainthat is usually lost is all retained on the table and dropped with thebunch of flax or grain that is collected by the teeth 2. The leaf 5 isadapted to move open simultaneously with the opening movement of theteeth 2, and for this purpose, a suitable operating connection isprovided between the leaf 5 and shaft 3. This connection consists of acrank arm 7 fastened to and depending from the shaft 3, and connectedwith the crank arm 7 is a link or rod 8 which extends to the leaf whereit connects with the bracket or strap 9 fastened to the inner or upperface of the leaf 5. The arm 7 and bracket 9 are located at correspondingends of the shaft 3 and leaf 5, so that the link 8 will be disposed atthe rear end of the flax and other grain attachment and is thus locatedout of the way so that the collection and deposit of the flax or othergrain bunch will not be interfered with. In fact, the link 8 serves toprevent the flax or other grain from dropping off the rear end of thetable. At the front end of the table may be provided anupwardlyextending board 10 which prevents flax or other grain fromdropping off the front edge of the table. The crank arm 7 and bracket 9can be provided with spaced openings 11 into which the ends of the rodor link 8 may be engaged so as to eflect the proper relative movement ofthe leaf 5 and teeth 2.

In operation, the flax or grain is delivered to the table as it passesfrom the sickle mechanism of the harvester and is collected on the tableby means of the teeth 2 and leaf 5 until a suitable quantity has beencollected to be deposited. The teeth 2 serve to retain the relativelylong flax or other grain while the leaf 5 retains the short loose flaxor other grain that sifts through the teeth 2. When a bunch of thedesired size is formed on the table 1, the operator exerts a pull on thearm 5 and causes the shaft 3 to rock, swinging the teeth 2 upwardly andthe leaf 5 downwardly to the position shown in Fig. 2. The flax or othergrain collected on the table now slides downwardly off the table andleaf and drops upon the ground. The parts are then immediately restoredto the position shown in Fig. 1, so as to collect another bunch of flaxor other grain. During the opening movement of the leaf 5, the arm 7swings in a direction to push the rod 8 longitudinally to swing the leafdownwardly, and during the closing movement, the arm 7 swings in adirection to exert a pull on the rod 8, which returns the leaf 5 toclosed posit-ion.

A device of this character applied to a flax and other grain attachmentis extremely simple and can be readily applied to harvesters already inuse, or furnished by the manufacturer with the flax and other grainattachment.

The device materially increases the harvest by reducing the quantity ofloose flax or grain ordinarily lost.

This grain saving device is of especial value for harvesting in dryseasons, when the grain is comparatively short and would readily dropthrough the teeth of the flax attachment of the harvester unless thegrain-holding device he used, but the device is, of course, useful inany season to prevent the loss of grain.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing, the advantages of the construction and of themethod of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the artto which the invention appertains, and while I have described theprinciple of operation of the invention, together with the device whichI now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have itunderstood that the device shown is merely illustrative, and that suchchanges may be made when desired as are within .the scopeof the claimsappended hereto.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A flax or other grain dropping mechanism for harvesters including atable, teeth for holding long grain while forming into a bunch on thetable, means for moving the teeth with respect to the table to permitthe bunch of grain to drop off the same, and a leaf extending along thebottom edge of the table below and outside the said teeth for holding onthe table the short grain that passes through the teeth and movablesimultaneously with the teeth to permit the short grain to drop at thesame time the bunch drops off the table.

2. A flax or other grain dropping mechanism for harvesters including atable, teeth for holding long grain while forming into a bunch on thetable, means for operating the teeth for dropping the formed bunch, andmeans mounted independently of the teeth and located below the latterfor holding and periodically dropping the short grain that passesthrough the teeth.

3. A harvester attachment of the class described comprising an inclinedtable, a set of teeth cooperating with the table for retaining longgrain on the table until a bunch is formed, a shaft carrying the teethand for moving the same to open and closed position to permit the bunchto slip off the table, a leaf normally disposed at an angle to the tableat a point below and outside the'teeth for retaining on the table theshort grain that passes through the teeth, hinges connecting the leaf tothe table to permit the leaf to swing downwardly from the lower edge ofthe latter, an arm on the shaft to move therewith, and a rod connectedwith the arm and leaf for moving the latter downwardly to drop the shortgrain at the same time the teeth move to drop the bunch of grain.

4. In a flax or other grain harvester, the combination of a dischargetable, teeth for holding the long grain on the table, a single leaf onthe table and arranged below and outside the teeth for holding the shortloose grain passing through the teeth, and operating means between theteeth and leaf whereby both open and close together to drop the long andshort grain simultaneously.

5. A harvester attachment of the class described comprising an inclinedtable, movable teeth over the table for holding relatively long grainthereon, a leaf hingedly connected with the table at a point below andoutside the teeth and normally disposed in a closed position at rightangles to the table for holding the short grain that passes through theteeth, said teeth being moved out of engagement with the long grain topermit the same to drop off the table, and means for moving the leaf toopen position to permit the short grain to drop off the table with thelong grain.

6. A harvester attachment of the class described comprising an inclineddischarge table, a plurality of swinging teeth arranged above the tablewith their free ends disposed adjacent the bottom edge of the table whenin closed position, means for moving the teeth toward and from thetable, a leaf in the form of a board extending horizon tally of thetable and so mounted with respect to the table as to swing on an axislocated below and outside the free ends of the teeth for holding thegrain that passes through the teeth, and means for moving the leaf toand from grain-holding position.

7. In a harvester, the combination of a discharge table, a movabledevice for holding long grain while forming into a bunch on the table, asecond device for holding on the table at a point below the first devicethe short grain and seed that pass through the latter, and connectingmeans between the devices whereby they drop the long and shortgrain offthe table at substantially the same time.

8. In a harvester, the combination of a discharge table, means forholding on the table long grain while forming into a bunch and fordropping the formed bunch, a leaf on the table at a point under andoutside the said means to hold on the table the short grain and seedthat passes through the said means when the latter is in normalgrainholding position, a swinging arm movable with said means, and aconnection between the arm and leaf to move the latter to a position topermit the short grain to drop off the table with the long grain.

9. In a harvester, the combination of an inclined discharge table, agrain holding leaf extending from one end thereof to the other andhinged to the bottom edge, a swinging arm, means for swinging the arm,and a connection between the arm and leaf to move the latter to and fromgrain-holding position.

10. In a harvester, the combination of an inclined discharge table, agrain-holding leaf extending from one end thereof to the other andhinged to the bottom edge, a rock shaft, means for rocking the shaft, anarm on and movable with the shaft, a connection between the arm and leafto move the leaf to and from grain-holding position by the rocking ofthe shaft, and grain-holding teeth carried by the shaft and movabletoward and from the table by the rocking of the shaft to hold long grainon the table at a point above the leaf and to drop the long grain offthe table with the short grain.

11. The combination of a flax or other grain attachment for harvestersincluding a table, teeth for holding long grain thereon, and means formoving the teeth to permit grain to drop off the table, with means forholding short grain on the table and movable simultaneously with theteeth to permit the short grain to drop with the long grain.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK LINHA.

WVitnesses:

CHAS. D. KnLso, I. M. Donns.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

